Beware of these items!

If you fly often, you know that all flights are different. Some are on time, some are late. Some are full, some are empty. Some have a happy flight crew, some have a pissed off flight crew. You get the idea. Well, on a recent flight I had such a bizarre experience that I have to tell you all about it, and see if it’s more common than I think.

It started out typically enough. I waited in line, boarded the plane, stowed my bag, sat down, got settled with my water bottle and Kindle. The two people sitting next to me were kind of strange, but not enough to really pay attention to. No, the weird people on the plane were the flight crew. Before the safety talk, the flight attendant announced that if you had headphones on you had to remove them for takeoff—even if your device was turned off. She even went up and down the aisles and asked the strange people next to me to remove their headphones. During the talk, the flight attendant gave the typical warnings about fastening your seatbelt, cabin pressure, etc. Then she stated explicitly that during takeoff and landing, nothing was to be placed in the seatback pocket—not a laptop (which I’ve heard before), water bottle, or book (which was new)—nothing. I rolled my eyes a bit, but went ahead and moved my water bottle.

As the flight went on, I forgot about the seatback pocket warning and stuck my water bottle and Kindle in there. As we went into our final approach, the flight attendant walked by and asked me to remove them. The reason? It would make it harder to get out of your row in an emergency.

I know in the grand scheme of things this is not a big deal. But sort of like the flight attendant back in December who made me put away my knitting during takeoff, I just think it’s weird and unnecessary. If knitting needles or books in the seatback pocket are truly a danger, that’s totally fine and I will act accordingly. But does each individual flight attendant get to decide what they think is dangerous, and then enforce that on their passengers? What if a super paranoid flight attendant decides that writing utensils are dangerous (hey, I saw The Bourne Identity—you can do a lot of damage with a pen!) and bans people from writing?

Readers, what do you think? Have you heard a strange safety requirement while flying? Do you think flight attendants should be able to decide what’s dangerous, or should there be some sort of standard?

This week, I traveled to Chicago. It was a very productive visit, where I got a lot of work done and I was able to hang out with my sisters. But there was one thing that wasn’t awesome. All of my flights were all on time, which was nice, but they were on small planes. American used to have several direct flights to Chicago every day, all on the Super 80. Not the newest planes, but with a reasonable amount of space. However, now the majority of these flights are on American Eagle planes. Awesome. And since I exhausted my supply of upgrades during my pregnancy and haven’t replenished it yet, I had to sit in coach. Man those seats are tight. But that’s not even the point of my story!

Whenever I travel during the winter, I always put my coat in my suitcase before going through security. It is just way easier to navigate the airport without worrying about tripping over your long coat. Sometimes I will take it out of for the flight (especially if I’m worried about my bag fitting in the overhead bin), but since I knew I would be gate checking I left it in. After dropping my bag off on the ramp I got on the plane feeling so light and free with just my personal item. That continued through the flight, until the very end. See, even though I had appreciated the gate-check at the beginning of the flight, I was less appreciative at the end. Because I had to stand on that jetbridge waiting for my suitcase, and it was cold. By the time my suitcase finally appeared (next to last omg) I was shivering and my teeth were chattering. My cozy red coat would have made the wait much more bearable!

So the next time I fly on a small plane, if it’s cold at my destination I will take my coat with me on the plane. Yes it’s more of a hassle but it’s better than freezing my tail off for twenty minutes!

Readers, have you ever had issues with gate-checking?

The Home Warrior hates making a scene. He could go to a restaurant, have the worst food he’s ever eaten, and when the server asks, “How is everything?” he would say, “Great!” just to avoid making a scene. We have recently been planning our first trip with the Mini Warrior, and one of Home Warrior’s biggest concerns is disturbing people if the baby cries.

When I fly, I try to be understanding of the people traveling with their kids. However, I know a lot of business travelers who wish they could sit in a kid-free area of the plane (and to be honest sometimes I do too). According to CNN, an airline in Asia has decided to fulfill this wish. Passengers flying AirAsia X can have the option of paying more ($11-35) to sit in the first seven rows of Economy Class on certain flights, where kids under 12 are not allowed.

Honestly, I think this is a great idea. People who want to be away from kids so badly that they will pay for it, can. (Although I do wonder if these are the rows with more leg room, and if there are any of those rows in the other section. If not, I would have an issue with that.) The comments on the CNN article run the gamut from “Thank God, you people chose to have children and I shouldn’t have to suffer from it,” to “They are infringing on children’s rights.” Obviously I have a kid, and don’t hate children. I still think this is a good idea because it doesn’t penalize anyone for traveling with children, and it gives people who want to sit away from children the option to pay more to do so. It also allows parents who are concerned about their children crying and disturbing other passengers (like the Home Warrior) a little peace of mind.

Readers, what do you think? Good idea or a waste of time? Infringing on anyone’s rights?

ETA: CNN did a follow-up about the comments to the original article.

From a CNN article this week:

According to a safety alert published on the Federal Aviation Administration’s website, the prepackaged coffee filters many airlines use are susceptible to pressure buildup and can explode when an unsuspecting attendant lifts the coffee pot to pour a cup.

Okay seriously? The coffee filters are dangerous? Yeah right.

Several cases of bursting java filters have caused flight crew and passengers to suffer first- and second-degree burns, according to the FAA’s warning.

“The coffee filter containing the hot coffee grounds can burst causing burns to the face, neck, hands, arms and torso in varying degrees of severity,” the FAA’s safety alert said. The alert was issued to airlines and aircraft operators on January 3.

Oh. Maybe they are actually dangerous….

When it looks like the coffee filter package is about to blow, passengers and crew nearby should get out of the way and not touch the coffee pot.

Don’t have to tell me twice!

It just seems like the manufacturers of this coffee filter should know a) the risks of doing things in a pressurized cabin; and b) how to avoid those risks! I mean, come on. First and second degree burns?? That’s a big deal! You can’t tell me there’s not a way to design these coffee filters so that this doesn’t happen.

The article goes on to say that the FAA is recommending airlines add information about how to safely use the coffee filters into their safety manuals. I definitely think that’s smart for the interim, but IMO this is a design flaw.

Now I’m going to be terrified every time my neighbor asks for a cup of coffee.

Readers, what do you think? Are the flight attendants responsible for using the coffee filters safely? Or should the manufacturer figure out a better design?

Pictured: Adorable vintage coffee pot (NOT of the exploding variety) from Etsy shop Zoe Designs.

I fly to Nashville every month, sometimes more. There has typically been a direct Southwest flight every morning for years. Sometimes it leaves at 7am, sometimes 630, for a brief heavenly time it left at 830. I always thought it was the perfect time to get you there for the majority of the work day, since it’s about a two hour flight. It was always pretty full, so I assumed that it would be here forever.

Well, when I went to book my flight for this month, the time had changed from departing at 7:30 and arriving at 9:30am to departing at 11:30 and arriving at 1:30pm. 1:30pm! Who, exactly, is that flight designed for? I wouldn’t be able to get to the office until 2:30 at the earliest, which leaves me 2.5 hours of the workday. So my options are to come in the night before (which I HATE doing since I really only need to be there for five or six hours) or take an American flight through Dallas that leaves at 6am and arrives at noon. Awesome.

The last time Southwest changed this flight they at least had an option that left at 6am, stopped in Houston, and got me there at 9:30. But even that one is gone. WTF??? Okay, ending my rant now.

Readers, have you ever had a flight you took regularly change times? What did you do as a result?

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According to NBC News (by way of AP) the big three US airlines-Delta, American, and United- are going to start offering wifi on international flights. They already offer it on many domestic flights, but starting in early 2013 will also have it on overseas flights. One of my coworkers is not excited—she says these are the only flights she has where she doesn’t have to be available to clients. However, I am super stoked—it will allow me to be more productive and maintain contact with home.  Of course, it might cut into my movie time…..hmmmm……

Readers, would you use wifi on an overseas flight?

From Reader M:

On Lufthansa economy out of London Heathrow, I can take one checked suitcase and one carry-on. The rules shown on Lufthansa’s web site mention only the carry-on–nothing about additional item such as a purse or lap top bag. They must, surely, allow such things, but the website doesn’t say, and I can’t get a straight answer out of the customer service agents. What’s your experience?

I have never actually flown Lufthansa, so I did a little research. Here is what I found: for coach passengers, Luftansa only allows one carry-on. It can weigh up to 18 lbs and have the following dimensions: 22in x 16in x 8in/55cm x 40cm x 20cm (length x width x height). I would be prepared to stuff my purse into my carry-on just in case, or travel with a carry-on/notebook case like this one by Kensington.

Readers, what has your experience been with Lufthansa? Did they allow both a carry-on and a personal item, or just one item?

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For the last six years, I have been Platinum on American. The first year at my job I did the challenge (free back then—those were the days!) and achieved Platinum in six weeks. I’ve maintained it since, some years due to segments and others due to points. This year I had to stop flying in the middle of June, and will certainly not requalify for Platinum, just Gold.

Obviously this is a bummer, especially for someone who travels as much as I do. Once I go back to work, I expect travel to be at typical levels, and I would really like to maintain my status. I’m considering calling the Aadvantage Customer Service and just asking if there is anything they can do. Can they see that I got halfway there and then stopped, after six years of consistent travel levels? Do they care enough about their frequent customers to be flexible?

There are a lot of threads on Flyertalk asking if anyone has had success, with a lot of discussion but no results. Has anyone ever asked for a status exemption with an airline? Did they grant it, or just refer you to the challenge?

What do you think, Readers? Is it worth asking for? Or does it make me an entitled brat to even consider?

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Hard to believe it’s already been a year! Talk about time flying. This time last year I was planning a trip to Manila and getting ready for Blog World. Fun times!

One year ago:

• I shared my Top Five Travel Necessities for Airplanes, Hotels, and Grooming.
• A friend reminded people how important it is to check into flights early.
• There were multiple instances of passengers joining the mile-high club, one from friends and one made the news….oy.

Two years ago:

• We had some good discussions about women business travelers being treated differently and bringing family on the road.
• Some friends discovered that almond butter is a big threat to national security.
• I realized that printing itineraries for international trips is a very good idea.

Here is a recent email from a reader:

I have my first day trip coming up in a few weeks. Since I’m not spending the night anywhere, I’ll only be bringing my laptop bag. Where should I put it while I’m on the plane? It’s technically a personal item, so does that mean it should go under the seat in front of me?

Great question! There are two schools of thought on that. One, since you’re not bringing a larger rollaboard bag, you can put it in the overhead bin if you want. Just make sure to put it on the smaller side of the plane if there is one. The other thought is that since it fits under the seat in front of you, it should go under the seat in front of you, freeing up space in the overhead bins for the larger bags. (Pictured: My beloved Lo & Sons O.G. is now available in Raspberry, aka hot pink! I want one so bad I can hardly stand it.)

I typically will always put my personal item under the seat in front of me, because it’s considerate to leave space for the larger bags (plus could help the plane take off sooner!), it doesn’t really change my comfort level, and it’s easier to access when I’m sitting by the window. However, as my pregnancy progressed and bending became more difficult (and finally impossible!), I moved to sitting in aisle seats and putting my purse in the overhead bins so I could access it if needed.

So honestly, it could go either place—under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin. The one place it should never go? Behind your legs or under your seat. This just takes room away from the person behind you.

Readers, where do you put your personal item when it’s your only bag?